After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! - Chapter 72

“Not entirely—not entirely! That was just one of the reasons. The main goal was to make your parents believe that our relationship was real,” Cheng Yi said quickly.

Shen Ran remained silent, eyes locked onto Cheng Yi’s without blinking.

Just a moment ago, Cheng Yi was boldly holding his hand, playing the straight-shooter. And now he was being evasive again?

After a few seconds of silent tension, Cheng Yi finally caved. “Alright, alright, I admit—I did have selfish motives.”

“At the time, I really thought I’d never get a chance to be with you. So if I could fake it with you for even just a moment, make-believe or not, I was genuinely happy.”

“I thought, even if we couldn’t be together, just having that one moment where I held your hand… would be enough.”

Shen Ran froze, surprised by Cheng Yi’s confession. He hadn’t imagined that was what Cheng Yi had been thinking back then.

Suppressing the slight sting rising in his chest, Shen Ran tightened their handhold, intertwining their fingers, and suddenly pulled Cheng Yi forcefully toward him.

Caught completely off guard, Cheng Yi stumbled forward a step, the distance between them vanishing.

Then, without warning, Shen Ran cupped his face in both hands and planted a loud, exaggerated kiss on his cheek.

“MUA!!”

The kiss rang out loud and clear—and incredibly brazen.

It was as if Shen Ran wanted to make sure everyone could hear and see.

The ruckus he made in the busy corridor naturally drew plenty of attention.

Employees who recognized Shen Ran were already watching with amused curiosity. Some, pretending to be busy while passing by, could barely hold back their laughter.

Most of the staff, however, had no idea who Shen Ran was.

After all, a working person’s daily circle is only so big. It’s impossible to know everyone.

So those unfamiliar with him began whispering amongst themselves.

“Who are those two? Which department? There’s so much pink fluff in the air it’s getting in my face!”

“That smooch just now was loud. No joke, I’ve got one Bluetooth earbud in and I still heard it crystal clear…”

“My biggest concern is that company policy bans workplace romance, doesn’t it? I’m single and they’re kissing? I demand to report them! (bitterly)”

And so on, and so forth.

…

Had it been anyone else—someone more easily embarrassed—they’d probably be dragging Shen Ran away in a flustered panic by now.

But Cheng Yi was anything but ordinary.

“Ran Ran, what do we do?” he said, tightening his grip on Shen Ran’s hand and pretending to panic.

“You kissed me. Everyone saw. We can’t hide our relationship anymore. What if I get fired? Ran Ran, if I lose my job… will you support me for the rest of my life?”

Shen Ran: Jackson Yee shutting eyes in silent agony.jpg

What was with this Cheng Yi? Why was he suddenly launching into a whole drama?

“Ran Ran, you know I’m a very insecure person. If you break up with me, I’ll lose all will to live. Please, don’t leave me…”

As the nonsense escalated further and further, the one who cracked first wasn’t Cheng Yi—it was Shen Ran.

Grabbing Cheng Yi’s hand, Shen Ran lowered his head and stomped away, practically dragging him along. Gritting his teeth, he muttered under his breath:

“Ugh, let’s go already! Enough with the act! This is my company—don’t drag me down and make a fool of me here!”

“But I could’ve sworn it was Boss Shen who suddenly pulled me in for a kiss. I thought that meant Boss Shen wanted to…”

“Cheng. Yi!”

——

Despite being called the company’s annual party, it honestly wasn’t anything all that exciting.

It was the usual lineup: speeches from top executives—namely, his father Shen Xianming—talking big dreams, painting vague futures, and trying to motivate the staff.

Then came the performances: singing, dancing, whatever was trendy at the moment. Nothing groundbreaking.

After entering the venue, Shen Ran led Cheng Yi straight to the front—reserved seating for company leadership—and greeted the couple seated there.

“Dad, Mom, we’re here.”

He stood straight and used the same cheerful tone he always had—saying words that wouldn’t make Shen Xianming or Fu Sijie suspicious.

God knew how much mental strain Shen Ran was enduring just to act natural.

Disgust. Fear. The urge to run. The wounds from years past—beatings, abuse—all long healed physically, but at this moment, it was as if they ached faintly once more.

Even though Shen Ran had already remembered everything from the past, he still had to pretend nothing had happened—still had to act close with these two monsters in human skin.

So as he spoke, his grip on Cheng Yi’s hand tightened unconsciously.

Cold sweat coated his palms, and his fingernails dug into Cheng Yi’s skin. But Shen Ran was so tense, he didn’t even notice.

It was Shen Xianming who greeted them.

“Ran Ran, you’re here! And little Cheng, too. The annual party is about to start—come, sit down. Once Dad finishes his speech, it’ll be time for the prize draw you’ve been waiting for.”

Every word out of Shen Xianming’s mouth was full of doting affection for Shen Ran.

But now, that so-called affection felt…

Just as Shen Ran’s brow was about to furrow, he felt a light tickle in the palm of his hand.

Standing beside him, Cheng Yi remained poised and calm, quietly scratching Shen Ran’s palm with the tip of his finger.

It felt like reassurance—like he was silently saying, Don’t be nervous.

Like he was saying, I’m here. Everything will be fine.

Shen Ran let out a deep breath, realizing only now just how loud his heartbeat had become.

Then Cheng Yi smiled and spoke up on his behalf:
“Thank you, Uncle Shen. I’ll sit here with Ran Ran, if that’s alright.”

“Still calling me Uncle?” Shen Xianming joked, laughing. “With the way you two are looking at each other, I’d say calling me Dad isn’t far off, huh?”

Cheng Yi gave a modest smile and nodded. “If I ever have the honor of calling you ‘Dad’ and walking alongside Ran Ran in life, that would truly be a blessing for me.”

“You sly one!” Shen Xianming laughed heartily. “Now that’s how you talk! Alright, take a seat!”

As they sat in the two seats beside Shen Xianming, Shen Ran found himself oddly impressed by Cheng Yi.

This man really did know how to talk to people—saying the right things to the right person, like second nature.

Just a few words, and he already had Shen Xianming wrapped around his finger.

Once Shen Xianming took the stage to begin his speech, Shen Ran leaned closer, whispering by Cheng Yi’s ear:

“Cheng Yi, I’m starting to realize… you’re actually quite the smooth talker.”

“Of course,” Cheng Yi replied smoothly.

“Then why is it that when you talk to Shen Xianming, you’re all charm and flattery—but when you talk to me, your mouth’s so sharp I could die from the venom?”

Honestly, Shen Ran was tempted to say it outright: Cheng Yi was definitely playing favorites.

“Ran Ran, now that’s just unfair,” Cheng Yi said, raising both hands in a mock surrender—but his signature smirk remained firmly in place.

“I use sweet talk when I’m trying to deceive someone, when I have an ulterior motive. Isn’t that, right?”

“…Right,” Shen Ran replied after a pause.

“But with you—even if I speak a little bluntly sometimes—everything I say comes from the heart. Isn’t that, right?”

“Mm… that does kind of make sense.”

Cheng Yi lowered his voice, each word soft and laced with meaning:

“So, you see, honeyed words are usually laced with poison. Don’t believe them.”

“Just believe me. That’s enough, isn’t it?”

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